Department Store

Four more and he’ll match his age.   Twenty-four-year old Joel J. Gorjian, a VP at Great Neck, New York-based Namdar Realty Group, has made his 20th retail center purchase in the past 12 months, this time a mall in suburban Chicago.  

Current media reporting on the state of physical retail is mostly doom and gloom. But analysts at real estate research company CoStar listened in on the latest wave of Q1 earnings calls and discovered a generally bullish attitude for brick-and-mortar retail among developers.   “I just think the [negative] narrative is a way ahead of itself," a CoStar report quoted Simon Properties CEO David Simon as saying.   

Rent the Runway, a disruptor in traditional formal wear category, is now a leader in the paid search advertising category.  

The “Amazon effect,” or the impact of digital on traditional retailing, is forcing retailers to step up their game.   As retailers strive to incorporate new services to satisfy shoppers both in-store and online, their first priority is adding services to compete with the promise of free shipping.  

The retail environment in Canada is proving more challenging than some U.S. retailers had anticipated.     Express said it will close all 17 of its stores in Canada, and discontinue its Canadian operations through its Canadian subsidiary, Express Fashion Apparel Canada Inc. The retailer will continue to operate 635 stores in the United States.      

An executive from Avery Dennison Corp. is headed to Nordstrom.    The retailer announced that Anne Bramman is joining the company as CFO effective June 2, 2017. Bramman comes to Nordstrom from Avery Dennison, where she has served as senior VP and CFO since 2015. She previously held the CFO position at Carnival Cruise Line, and was also CFO of Henri Bendel, a subsidiary of L Brands Inc.  

Amazon’s fashion journey may have just hit a bump in the road.   Cathy Beaudoin, the online giant’s president of fashion, has left her post — a position she has held for eight years, reported Business of Fashion.